Abstract

The Internet is increasingly used throughout all countries, including those with authoritarian and oppressive regimes. What will be the outcome of this intersection? The academic literature is replete with debates on the Internet as an authoritarian or democratic device and whether it provides a revolutionary tool for freedom of speech or is a menace to society. Most of these studies focus on social theory or technical studies of the Internet to fall within one of the polarised utopian or dystopian categories.

Rather than focussing on the interplay of social forces, or narrowing down on the technology as the sole determining factor, this study pays significant attention to both the characteristics of technical objects and the socio-political forces. To address this, Illich’s theory of ‘conviviality of tools’ is drawn upon. This theory is used to examine the basic argument that the Internet is a convivial tool that promotes conviviality in Internet communities.

Our examination draws field evidence from case studies of two online campaigns in Iran – one on women’s rights; one on stoning. These show that bloggers can develop strong campaigns under authoritarian regimes. However, the state is increasingly fighting back. And it is the state – by mediating the relation between virtual and real social spaces – that will significantly determine the transferability of conviviality between the two.

We build from this to create a final conceptual framework that provides a model for analysing authoritarianism and the Internet in other countries.